ANN ARBOR – Lieutenant Lee Root of the Dexter Area Fire Department has been named 2022’s Firefighter of the Year by The Washtenaw 100, a regional charitable organization that supports the area’s public safety professionals.
Lt. Root’s award was presented last week at The Washtenaw 100’s annual dinner. It recognizes his 16 years of service to date with the Dexter FD in roles that have grown from on-call firefighter to full-time team member, and from training officer to shift officer in charge of multiple firefighters and fire stations.
Lt. Root is also a member of Washtenaw County’s Technical Rescue Team and Swift Water Rescue Team. He recently joined Michigan Task Force 1, which conducts urban search and rescue throughout the state.
While honored by The Washtenaw 100’s award, Lt. Root is quick to note that he doesn’t do his firefighting job for the recognition. His purpose, he says, is “to help people.”
Lt. Root is originally from New Jersey, where he had worked in fire service since 1989. A decade later, he moved to Michigan, following his wife Kathleen’s career move. In 2006, he joined the Dexter FD, where he has blossomed into his current leadership role.
Lt. Root was nominated for the Firefighter of the Year Award by the Dexter FD’s Assistant Chief Steve Gaggi, who says: “If there’s any one best thing that characterizes Lt. Root, it’s his constant desire to improve himself and our department. He’ll look at how we do things and push to see if we can do them better. He attends many types of trainings and brings that knowledge back to the department for all of us to share.”
Asst. Chief Gaggi adds, “Ultimately, all the great work that Lt. Root does is directed toward one critically important role: to help keep our community members safe.”
About The Washtenaw 100
In September 1971, a small group of Ann Arbor-area community leaders formed The Washtenaw 100, a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to providing financial assistance to the families of police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty. Over the years, The Washtenaw 100 has expanded its mission to also include: college scholarships for children of police and firefighting professionals; grants to police and fire departments for needed safety equipment and training; and annual awards to the county’s most distinguished law enforcement officers and firefighters.
Originally, The Washtenaw 100 operated anonymously. Membership was by private invitation only, it was limited to approximately 100 members (hence the name), and the organization sought no public recognition for its efforts.
Today, The Washtenaw 100 invites all in the community to join. Members’ annual fees and individual donations enable the organization to continue supporting our area’s sworn uniformed officers and their families, who give bravely and selflessly for the safety and security of the community.
In the past five decades, The Washtenaw 100 has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in needed assistance to the area’s public safety officers and their departments.
The Washtenaw 100 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization exempt from federal tax. Members’ annual fees and donations may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
More information is available from The Washtenaw 100 at P.O. Box 1204, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Email: info@washtenaw100.org. Web: www.washtenaw100.org.
